Umlando weBandla
UJane Elizabeth Manning James

“UJane Elizabeth Manning James” IziHloko zomLando weBandla

“UJane Elizabeth Manning James”

UJane Elizabeth Manning James

UJane Elizabeth Manning (owayephila cishe ngeminyaka yo-1822–1908) wayengomunye wabantwana cishe abayisihlanu abazalwa yizithandani zaseConnecticut ezazingama-Afrika aseMelika ezazikhululekile ngesikhathi lapho iningi labamnyama eMelika babeyizigqila.1 Esakhula, wangena eBandleni iNew Canaan Congregational ngonyaka ka-1841, kodwa ezinyangeni eziyishumi nesishiyagalombili kamuva, ebusika bangonyaka ka-1842–43, yena nabomndeni wakubo babhabhadiselwa eBandleni likaJesu Kristu labaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina. UJane nabanye emndenini wakubo ngokushesha bafisa ukuyohlangana nabaNgcwele eNauvoo, ngakho-ke bahamba besuka eConnecticut baya eNew York, behlele ukuhamba ngezikebhe. Kodwa-ke, banqatshelwa ukudlula ngezikebhe ngenxa yebala labo, ngakho-ke kwadingeka bahambe ngezinyawo amamayela angamakhulu ayisishiyagalombili ayesasele. Sebefike ePeoria, e-Illinois kwathi uma iziphathimandla zendawo zibabona abakwaMannings zacabanga ukuthi kungenzeka babe yizigqila ezazibalekile zase zifuna amaphepha okufakazisa ukuthi babekhululekile. Ukucwaswa ngebala kwaba yisithiyo ayezobhekana naso impilo yakhe yonke uJane.

Isithombe
isithombe sikaJane Manning James

Isithombe sikaJane Manning James.

Lokhu kutholakale oLwazini oluGciniwe lweBandla

Kwathi esefikile eNauvoo, uJane waqala ukuba nobudlelwane ngokushesha noJoseph no-Emma Smith. Wayehlala nabo futhi esebenza emzini wabo. Ngelinye ilanga, u-Emma wake wamema uJane ukuba emukelwe njengomntwana emndenini wakwaSmith ngesimiso sokuboshwa kobuphristi.2 UJane wenqaba, engawuqondi kahle lomkhuba omusha owawungajwayelekile, kodwa ekholwa kakhulu kuJoseph njengomphrofethi. “Ngangimazi umPhrofethi uJoseph,” kwasho yena efakaza kamuva. “Wayeyindoda eyayinogazi kunawo wonke engake ngawabona emhlabeni. … Nganginesiqiniseko sokuthi wayengumphrofethi ngoba ngangikwazi lokho.”3

Ngesikhathi exoxa noJoseph nonina, uLucy Mack Smith, uJane wafunda okuningi ngeNcwadi kaMormoni nangokuhunyushwa kwayo futhi wathola ukuziqonda nokuhlonipha izimiso zasethempelini.

UJane wagana u-Isaac James, owayeyikholwa elimnyama elalikhululekile laseNew Jersey. Bobabili, kanye nendodana kaJane uSylvester, bahamba eNauvoo ngonyaka ka-1846 ukuya entshonalanga nabaNgcwele. NgoJuni walowonyaka, kwazalwa indodana kaJane no-Isaac uSilas. Ngonyaka olandelayo lomndeni wanqamula amathafa, waze wafika esiGodini saseSalt Lake ngobusika bangonyaka ka-1847. U-Isaac noJane bathola abanye abantwana abayisithupha, kodwa babili vo abaphila isikhathi eside kunoJane. Njengabanye abahlali ababefika esiGodini saseSalt Lake, uJane no-Isaac basebenza kanzima ukondla umndeni wabo. U-Isaac wasebenza njengesisebenzi futhi eshayelela uBrigham Young ngezikhathi ezithile, kanti uJane yena wayephotha indwangu, enza izingubo zokugqoka, ewasha nezingubo, njengoba ayenza eseseNauvoo.

Ukungezwani emshadweni wabo kwenza ukuba u-Isaac noJane bahlukane ngonyaka ka-1870. Kamuva uJane wagana uFrank Perkins owayeyisigqila ngaphambilini, kodwa wabuye waqhubeka nempilo yakhe njengomzali okhulisa abantwana eyedwa ngenxa yokuthi emva kweminyaka emibili wahlukana noFrank. Ngenxa yokweswela imali nokushona kwabantwana abathathu kwenza ukuba uJane abuyele emsebezini. Wayenza futhi adayise insipho, ngesikhathi abafana bakhe ababili beqashwe njengezisebenzi. Ngonyaka ka-1890, emva kweminyaka engamashumi amabili engekho, u-Isaac wabuyela eSalt Lake City, wavuselela ubulungu bakhe eBandleni, walungisa nobudlelwane bakhe noJane. Ngesikhathi edlula emhlabeni emva konyaka, inkonzo yomngcwabo wakhe yabanjelwa emzini kaJane.

Kubo bonke ubunzima abhekana nabo empilweni yakhe, uJane wayelokhu abambelela okholweni lwakhe nasezimfundisweni zevangeli futhi ebazisa ubulungu bakhe kuleliBandla. Wanikela ngesikhathi kwakhiwa ithempeli futhi wabamba iqhaza kwiNhlangano yoSizo yabesiFazane nakwiNhlangano yamaNtombazane yokuPhungulwa kwabaSebenzi.4 UJane wathola izipho zikaMoya kaningi, okubalwa kuzo imibono, amaphupho, ukwelashwa ngokholo, nokukhuluma izilimi. Kamuva wabhala wathi, “Ukholo lwami eVangelini likaJesu Kristu, namhlanje lunamandla, cha, futhi kungenzeka ukuthi lunamandla kakhulu kunangesikhathi ngibhabhadiswa okokuqala.”5

Phakathi konyaka ka-1884 nonyaka ka-1904, uJane wayevame ukuxhumana nabaphathi beBandla—uJohn Taylor, uWilford Woodruff, uZina D. H. Young, noJoseph F. Smith—efuna imvume yokuba ambathiswe ethempelini futhi aboshwe.6 Ngaleso sikhathi, abaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina abamnyama besilisa nabesifazane babengavumelekile ukubamba iqhaza ezimisweni eziningi zasethempelini. Ngonyaka ka-1888, umongameli wesikhonkwane u-Angus M. Cannon wagunyaza uJane ukuba abhabhadiselwe abomndeni wakhe ababengasekho emhlabeni.7 Abaholi beBandla bagcina bemvumele uJane ukuba aboshwe ngokumelwa emndenini kaJoseph Smith njengesisebenzi ngonyaka ka-1894, okwakuyinto eyayingajwayelekile impela. Noma engazange akuthole ukwembathiswa kwasethempelini noma ukuboshwa nomndeni wakhe esaphila, lezi zimiso wenzelwa zona ngonyaka ka-1979.8

Wadlula emhlabeni ngomhlaka 16 ngo-Ephreli ngonyaka ka-1908, eneminyaka egamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nanhlanu, efela okholweni. I Deseret News yabika ukuthi, “Bambalwa okuthiwa ngabo babenokholo nokwethembeka okungaphezulu kukaJane Manning James, futhi nakuba ngokwesimo sakhe wayempofu wayenabangani nabantu ayebazi ababebaningi kakhulu.”9

Imithombo okuthathwe kuyo lemfundiso

  1. Unina kaJane wayeyisigqila kodwa wakhululwa ngumthetho wokukhululwa kancane kancane waseConnecticut. UJane wazalwa ekhululekile, kodwa ubugqila babusemthethweni kulelozwe kwaze kwaba emva kokuhamba kukaJane. Ukuze uthole olunye ulwazi ngempilo kaJane, bheka kuHenry J. Wolfinger, “A Test of Faith: Jane Elizabeth Manning James and the Origins of the Utah Black Community,” in Clark Knowlton, ed., Social Accommodation in Utah (Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 1975), 126–75 and Quincy D. Newell, “The Autobiography and Interview of Jane Elizabeth Manning James,” Journal of Africana Religions, vol. 1, no. 2 (2013), 251–91.

  2. Incwadi kaZina D. H. Young eya kuJoseph F. Smith, ngoJanuwari 15, 1894, Church History Library, eSalt Lake City.

  3. “‘Aunt’ Jane James,” in “Joseph Smith, the Prophet,” Young Woman’s Journal, vol. 16, no. 12 ( Dec. 1905), 551, 553.

  4. Eighth Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1867–1969, Eighth Ward, Liberty Stake, ngo-Agasti. 20, 1874; ngo-Okthba. 20, 1874; ngoDisemba 21, 1874; ngoJanuwari 20, 1875; ngoMashi 22, 1875; ngoMeyi 20, 1875; ngoNovemba 20, 1875, vol. 1, Church History Library, Salt Lake City [uJane wazibiza ngesibongo sakwaPerkins isikhashana]; “Ladies Semi-monthly Meeting,” Woman’s Exponent, vol. 22, no. 9 (ngoDisemba 1, 1893), 66. UJane wanikela ngezimali ngesikhathi kwakhiwa iThempeli laseSt. George, eLogan, neThempeli laseManti, wanikela futhi nasemsebenzini wokuyoshumayela iVangeli kumaLamani (aseNdiya). Bheka kuLinda King Newell kanye noValeen Tippetts Avery, “Jane Manning James,” Ensign, ngo-Agasti 1979, 29.

  5. Jane Elizabeth Manning James autobiography, circa 1902, dictated to Elizabeth J. D. Roundy, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, 22.

  6. Incwadi kaJane E. James eya kuJohn Taylor, ngoDisemba 27, 1884; Incwadi kaJane E. James eya kuJoseph F. Smith, ngoFebruwari 7, 1890; Incwadi kaJane E. James eya kuJoseph F. Smith, ngo-Agasti 31, 1903.

  7. Incwadi ka-Angus M. Cannon eya kuJane E. James, ngoJune 16, 1888; bheka futhi uTonya Reiter, “Black Saviors on Mount Zion: Proxy Baptisms and Latter-day Saints of African Descent,” Journal of Mormon History, vol. 43, no. 4 (ngo-Okthoba. 2017), 100–123.

  8. Umlando wempilo kaJane Elizabeth Manning James, cishe ngonyaka ka-1902. UJane waxoxa ngomlando wempilo yakhe eSalt Lake City phakathi konyaka ka-1902 nonyaka ka-1908; uRonald G. Coleman kanye noDarius A. Gray, “Two Perspectives: The Religious Hopes of ‘Worthy’ African American Latter-day Saints before the 1978 Revelation,” in Newell G. Bringhurst and Darron T. Smith, eds., Black and Mormon (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004), 54. Bheka futhi kuQuincy D. Newell, “The Autobiography and Interview of Jane Manning James,” Journal of Africana Religions, vol. 1, no. 2 (2013), 256, 275 (note 34).

  9. “Death of Jane Manning James,” Deseret News, ngo-Ephreli 16, 1908.